HkY plAYer
of tHe GAMes
Our award for the best player of the Olympics goes to
santiago Freixa
HKY
the spanish striker
caught our eye match
after match. so who is
he and why did we think
he was so good?
PLAYER
By the age of 22 ‘Santi’ had already
won the Champions Trophy and a
thrilling European championship
- at which he was named player of
the tournament; in 2005 he was
WorldHockey Young Player of the
Year. The exciting young player
went on to fulfill his potential as
a talented striker by moving to
Holland to play his club hockey

at Amsterdam HC. His dynamic
WHaT a sTRIkE!
OF
performance in Beijing is even
more impressive as he spent 2007
Catch him if you can...see him in action HERE
injured and played very little hockey.

The national team is coached by
THE
Maurits Hendriks who encourages Freixa’s Freixa and Edi Tubau is arguably the finest
creative style of play. However, Freixa takes in world hockey, and proved too hot for
his responsibility towards the team seriously. every team they met, apart from Germany.
Well-known for his wonderful goals from With five goals Santi was the seventh top
impossible corners he insists that hockey is goalscorer but he will be disapponted not

all about team work: “It is about achieving a to have increased that - he failed to convert
group aim, not to achieve personal prizes. It three penalty corners in the final. GAMES
is nice that the people recognise your value
and your hockey but I am not working for The key to Santi’s success is his exceptional
that. I only want to achieve a team prize.” spacial awareness matched with athletic
ability. Exploiting space on the pitch and
CHIna CRIsIs - how he terrorised defences speeding down the line he can be in the
circle shooting before you can say ‘he’s a bit
The Spanish front line of Pol Amat, Santi fresh, that one!”
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24